Love Is Here To Stay
by VegasGirl09
Summary: It's been one year since Julie Finlay was attacked by the Gig Harbor Killer and left in a coma. Since recovering and facing new challenges, the anniversary of that day approaches, throwing her off guard.
1. Chapter 1

Mondays were always dull and difficult and today, Monday February 15th, was no different. Julie woke up to the persistent buzz of her cell phones alarm. Muttering curse words under her breath, she reached out for it blindly from under the covers she was buried under to shut it off. Once it was silenced, she remained in bed, awake but still buried into her comfy pillows and warm covers. A few beams of sunlight were starting to break through the thick curtains on the window forcing her eyes to adjust and her mind to start processing her plans for the day. Her head ached, like it always did when she was forced to wake up early, a side effect of the coma she had been forced to get used to. Every morning felt like waking up with a hangover except she had not consumed any alcohol in months. The early morning headaches and funny buzzing sensation in her brain had been motivation to limit her alcohol intake significantly whenever she was out with Sara and Morgan or having date nights with John.

No fun was to be had today, she reminded herself as she flung back the covers, shivering in the chilly morning air and finally getting out of bed. Her ritual was the same most days; clothes, hair, some makeup, food, hot tea and work depending on how far she had gotten on each case. Work was not on today's list which she was somewhat grateful for but slightly annoyed by, especially when the knock at the front door came.

She sighed and answered it knowing who would be on the other side but still having to undo several locks to get the door open, her pitiful attempt to protect herself from any future attacks. Sure enough Russell was there, beaming at her and holding what she assumed was coffee in two metal travel mugs.

"Morning sunshine," he greeted her and she winced at his cheerfulness.

"It's too early for this," she muttered, reluctantly letting him inside her condo.

"Rough night?" he asked.

She gave him that usual look of annoyance and he stopped talking, silently handing her one of the travel mugs.

"I can't have coffee," she reminded him, another unfortunate side effect post coma. The once necessary to function drink now made her stomach churn unpleasantly whenever she caught a hint of its scent in the break room or at restaurants.

"I know," he said "it's tea."

She gave the mug and him a questioning look.

"It's Lavender, not mushrooms," he said reading her mind "to help you relax."

"I think I'm beyond help," she said and it was his turn to give her a look of annoyance.

She had a way of being bluntly honest with him about every little thing and today was no different. Her moody sarcastic tone was no doubt a way to mask her nerves about what they were about to do. She silently took the mug and sipped it from it slowly.

"Do you have everything you need?" he asked her.

"I think so," she said beginning to rummage through her purse that was sitting on the counter behind her while he consulted the clock on the wall for the time.

"We should get going," he said nodding at the clock.

"Yeah, o.k.," she said feeling awkward and silly for having to have him accompany her today.

They were silent as she locked up her condo, triple checking each lock before leaving. They were silent on the car ride, and when they parked at Desert Palm Hospital. But when they were riding the elevator up to fourth floor she said "I'm really sorry you have to do this."

She was avoiding his gaze when she spoke, her face growing hot with embarrassment.

"Don't be sorry," he assured her "I'm happy to help, and if John was busy….."

"He got stuck in D.C on assignment," she interrupted him, not wanting Russell to think her boyfriend was above accompanying her to ridiculous doctors appointments "stupid snow storm."

"Yeah I heard it was bad," Russell said trying to keep making conversation but feeling silly for talking about the weather.

When the elevator let them off on the fourth floor, they found the check in desk. Russell found two empty seats to wait in while Julie spoke to the receptionist.

"I have a nine o'clock appointment with Dr. King," Julie informed her, handing her the appointment slip with her information on it.

The receptionist scanned the slip, saw the name of the patient and said "Oh Ms. Finlay, you don't have to sign in, Dr. King cleared her whole schedule this morning for you. I'll page her and tell her you're here."

"Uh- o.k.," Julie said feeling embarrassed at the fact that a well known doctor would spend an entire morning talking to just one patient.

The receptionist made her phone call, punched in a code on the locked door and said "Right through here and down the hall."

Julie looked back at Russell now who stood up and said "I'll be out here when you're done."

"That won't be necessary," the receptionist said "Dr. King wants to speak with you too."

It was his turn to feel embarrassed as he looked at Julie and asked "Are you sure Jules?"

"Yeah, it's fine," she said feeling that having Russell here was better than having no one.

Down the hall and to the left was Dr. King's office. Julie had never been here before. All her encounters with the doctor had been in the ER, the intensive care ward where she spent months in a coma, and the therapy rooms she spent weeks regaining her strength back in. This office had only two chairs, one window, a desk where Dr. King was seated at and several personal touches, photos, knick knacks and plants. When Dr. King saw them enter, she stood up, smiled and said "Ms. Finlay, you're looking well."

"Thanks," Julie said unsure how to respond as Dr. King shook hands with Russell then motioned for them all to sit down.

"Well," Dr. King said consulting a file on her desk that turned out to be Julie's "it has been a remarkable year hasn't it?"

"It certainly has," Russell said looking at Julie feeling grateful for her.

"Doctors don't usually tend to follow up with their patients like this," Dr. King continued "but this case, and Ms. Finlay's recovery, has been so incredible, I couldn't not check in with you today." So Julie, tell me, how have you been?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Well I…" Julie started to say confidently but froze. Her mind wandered to this morning and every other morning struggling to wake up, her head aching not just in the morning but occasionally throughout the day. How she felt crippling exhaustion after only a few hours of work, or boundless energy when she wanted to relax. She thought of the way coffee now made her stomach hurt, how loud noises made her jump violently, how being alone in the dark at crime scenes or in her condo made her heart pound furiously in her chest, how she had to triple lock her door, how she almost got shot at the forensic conference in the fall, how someone connected to the Gig Harbor Killer was still out there and threatening her.

"I do o.k.," she finally said "but sometimes-

And she was off, listing each of those things to Dr. King who listened closely, occasionally scribbling notes in the file folder, but piercing her patient with a look of sympathy as she spoke.

"But that's it, really," Julie concluded.

Dr. King folded her hands together and said "I know it's been tough, but you've done well, these are issues we can take a look at, I can schedule a sleep study to see if something is disrupting your REM cycles, I can give you a referral to a therapist I know who is very good at helping people with PTSD and-

"Whoa, what?" Julie interrupted her "no, no way, I do _not_ have that."

"Well based on what you just told me, it seems like you could use someone to talk to, to help you work out your emotions and feelings since recovering." Dr. King said.

"I'm fine," Julie insisted, hating the way her voice cracked whenever she got emotional "I just told you all that because you asked, I don't need therapy."

"Jules, come on," Russell said "maybe it will help."

"It _never_ helps," Julie insisted, hinting that she had been through it before.

Russell looked at Dr. King, both of them helpless at making stubborn Julie Finlay do anything.

"I appreciate the offer," Julie said "but I just wanted to get back to normal and you helped me do that, can I go now?"

"Not yet," Dr. King said "I would like to get one more MRI scan of your brain to make sure there isn't any remaining injuries or damage, and then you can be on your way."

"Fine," Julie agreed begrudgingly crossing her arms.

In less than twenty minutes, Julie found herself in a freezing cold room lying on an even chillier table while the large, noisy MRI machine above her head hummed as it scanned her brain for any leftover anomalies from the attack last year. Though told to keep still, Julie found it difficult. Every few seconds her arm or leg would give a nervous twitch. She tried to steady her breathing but felt as if she were losing oxygen the longer she stayed in this room. She bit her lip to stop the tiny whimper of frustration from escaping her. She closed her eyes but felt dizzy, like she had when she first woke up from the coma. This vulnerability made her uncomfortable and angry, especially since it was all residual memories from last February 15th. Although she didn't really remember that much at all, she thought back to that evening, being alone in her condo, pouring over those case files, the entire history of the Gig Harbor case, the twins, their father, and their now missing mother who might be the key to solving this. The more she thought of that day, the more memories started to come back to her, the sound of glass breaking from behind her, the painful tug on her hair from Winthrop that brought her to her knees, was that when he started hitting her? She couldn't remember that, she did remember reaching for her gun but failing to grab it, she remembered her fingers scrapping at his arm as he kept her in a tight hold, she remembered struggling to breathe and that's when he started to hit her. Why didn't she hit back? He had spoken to her, telling her how she deserved everything she got, how worthless she was, how they would never find her body….

Her eyes snapped open and she became aware of a single tear that had started to fall down her face.

"O.K, we are all set," the nurse said suddenly from beside her making her jump.

Julie sat up quickly but regretted it as the room spun. She had to sit for a moment until it stopped spinning but even as she gathered up her things left in the other exam room; she walked on shaky legs back to Dr. King's office.

Russell paced out in the hallway waiting for Julie to return and wondering what was taking so long. Was something wrong? Had they found something? He moved from the hallway to the chair he had occupied earlier, looking at his watch every few minutes feeling like an eternity had passed. Dr. King came out of her office and saw him waiting there still. She approached and took the empty seat beside him.

"It was nice of you to come here with her," she said.

"I would do it for any of my team," Russell informed her "but Jules is- well- Jules."

Because there was truly no way to describe to Dr. King the complexity that was Julie Finlay.

"I know," Dr. King said sympathetically "I watched your team visit her constantly last year, she is loved dearly."

"Yeah she is," Russell said thinking back to those weeks spent at her bedside hoping, praying, and begging for her to come back to them.

"You know," Dr. King continued "her story is quite famous around here, patient confidentiality of course but I remember that night so vividly, I've been an ER trauma doctor for fifteen years but that night, when they brought her in, I knew whomever had done that to her was the worst of humanity, she had so many fractures I didn't know where to begin to try and help her, just stabilizing her was risky, but once we did and realized the damage…"

She broke off her train of thought, shivering slightly at the memories of her patient so helpless but clinging to life.

"She beat the odds Mr. Russell," Dr. King concluded "she's a miracle by all accounts."

He nodded silently in agreement, amazed at just how many lives Julie Finlay had touched.

Julie finally found her way back to Dr. Kings office hallway where she and Russell were waiting.

"Hey," he said when he saw her "how did it go?"

"Fine I guess," Julie said shrugging and covering a yawn with her hand.

Though only here for two short hours, the excursion had exhausted her.

"We'll call you with the results tomorrow," Dr. King said "but you're free to go."

"Thanks," Julie said meekly.

"Keep in touch," Dr. King said "I want to hear about your progress."

"I will," Julie said truthfully knowing how much this doctor had done to help her.

Russell guided Julie back out of the hospital and into the car. She sat in the passenger seat, resting her head on the cool glass window as he dove, thinking longingly of home, her bed and warm covers she wished to bury under and sleep the rest of the day. Russell noted her exhaustion, her tired sighs, her yawns and how she curled up in the seat.

"Listen," he said "I know you're tired, but I just have to stop by the house and get something, do you mind?"

"It's fine," she said not really caring.

When they arrived at Russell's house, he got out of the car, motioning for her to follow him which she reluctantly agreed, following him up the stone pathway to his front door.

She had spent quite a bit of time here the last three years, going over cases, having Sunday dinners with him, his wife Barbara and sometimes Charlie or Maya and Katie when they were in town. So of course she felt comfortable leaning on the porch railing while he unlocked the door, still waving to her to follow him. In the spacious foyer she stood hovering waiting for him to pick up whatever it was that he needed.

"I think I left it in the living room," he announced quiet loudly for some odd reason "help me look Jules."

She sighed, reluctantly following him into the living room but regretting it instantly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Surprise!" several loud voices shouted making Julie jump, startled and her heart pound in her chest. She was face to face with nearly everyone from work; Sara, Greg, Morgan, Hodges, Henry, Doc Robbins, David, Russell's wife Barbara, Nick and standing in the middle of the room grinning smugly at her, John.

She didn't care who was watching, she ran right to him, jumping in his arms making him catch her, the force of her hug knocking him back a few steps.

"You're here," she whispered, hugging him tight.

"Yes love," he whispered back "were you surprised?"

She nodded, unable to form a complete sentence to tell him how happy she was in this moment.

"But- I thought- D.C-"she stammered.

"The airport reopened," he said "they cleared the runways and I got the first flight as soon as I heard what Russell was planning."

Julie looked back at Russell who was smiling triumphantly at his victory at surprising her. She shook her head in disbelief but smiled, feeling loved. She no longer felt tired, but energized, happy to be surrounded by her friends who were really her family.

"This is so great," she said "I love you all so much, and you love me and let me be in your family."

"We wouldn't be a family without you Jules," Sara said.

"No matter what happens," Nick added "or where we end up, we will always be a family"

Julie smiled, so very grateful for all the support she had.

"Jules, if you're hungry we have food in the kitchen," Barbara said.

"I'm hungry," Hodges piped up.

They all piled into the kitchen were there was a buffet of food spread out onto the counters. They had gotten her favorite pizza along with vegetarian pizza for Sara, salad and other snacks. Feeling properly hungry for the first time all day, Julie piled as much food as she could onto a plate and sat at the large dining room table to indulge in it.

While they ate, they chatted away about random things; work, upcoming baseball games against the VICE team, a possible tennis tournament for next season. Julie sat with John, smiling continuously at how wonderful her life was right now. While cleaning up her plate in the kitchen, Julie turned and was face to face with Morgan.

"Hey, what's up?" she asked her casually.

But Morgan didn't answer. She was swaying back and forth, looking like she wanted to speak but couldn't.

"Are you o.k.?" Julie asked worriedly.

"Sort of," Morgan finally said "I just- I just want you to know, today was really hard for me, I mean it's nothing like what you went through, but when we found you in that trunk, I was so scared, I didn't want to lose you, you're like a sister to me and I'm just, really, really glad you're here."

She hurried forward and hugged Julie. She hugged back knowing how the coma had been just as stressful for Morgan as it had for her.

"I've always wanted a sister," Julie said smiling when she felt Morgan hug her tighter.

After lunch, they went outside to the patio to enjoy the nice warm weather Vegas was so graciously providing. Russell had a radio and speakers so they could play music. When Julie heard a song that she liked, she looked at John and asked "Dance with me, please?" He couldn't resist the pout and eager look she gave him so he let her take his hand and pull him over to a spot away from the tables where they started to sway back and forth slowly to the music.

"Guess what?" she whispered to him.

"What?" he played along.

"I'm really happy," she declared standing on her toes to reach his height so she could lean her forehead against his.

"I thought today was going to be miserable," she continued as they swayed "but it's not, I have an amazing life, wonderful friends, you- I'm really lucky and I'm reminded of that everyday."

"I know it's been rough," he said "but you've done amazing things in the last year, I'm so proud of you." And I know we still don't have all the answers to this Gig Harbor case, but we're still fighting, that's what matters."

She nodded in agreement, unsure what to say next. The music kept playing and they kept swaying. She loved to dance, to move so freely, especially after spending so much time confined to that hospital bed. She usually went out to dance clubs with Sara and Morgan and sometimes Hodges but there it was loud music that they danced to until they couldn't breathe. Here, with John, the music was slow and steady. His arms around her as they swayed, calmed her and made her feel safe. She didn't care who was watching as she rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and thinking of all the things and people she was blessed with. No awful memories of last February 15th invaded her mind this time like they had so brutally in the MRI this morning. Instead she thought of all the fun she wanted to have with her new lease on life; she wanted to travel, visit places like New York, spend time on the beach somewhere, anywhere would do, she wanted to spend her days off with John, watching movies, or making a mess in the kitchen trying to cook meals together. As she thought of those moments, she longed to tell him something she had been meaning to say for months now but couldn't work up the nerve to do so. She lifted her head to tell him what she had to say but he caught her off guard with a kiss, then a whisper for only her to hear "I love you."

She looked at him, taken aback slightly but then, smiling at how in sync they were. After years of fearing any type of serious relationship, she didn't need the funny ache in her heart to tell her that this was right, this was real, and he was the best thing to happen to her in years. Grinning still, she tightened her arms around him and whispered back "I love you too" feeling happier than she ever thought possible.

A/N- I try my very best with my stories to make Julie and the entire team as happy as they can be. The way they deserve to be. This story follows the other few I have written, the first being last March when I had her survive the coma, followed by her recovery, the award story, the conference shooting and new threat from the Gig Harbor case (a work in progress for the spring that I hope to start soon) I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read this or even glance at it. As a writer and Julie Finlay fan that means a lot to me that some people do care about her and her poor treatment in the finale.


End file.
